Long Time Coming

Posted on July 16, 2013 by jesustrek
Kenny Perry

Kenny Perry

Kenny Perry is one of the hottest golfers on the planet right now. He came from 10 shots down after 36 holes to pull away from the field for a convincing win in the U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska. He has now won two consecutive majors, which is quite an accomplishment.

About his golf game, Perry said, “It all came together. Why, after all these years? Here I am, (almost) 53 years old, and it finally came together for me.”

The Bible contains several stories of people who had it “all come together” for them after many years. Moses was 80 when he got his big chance. Joshua worked under Moses for 40 years before he got his turn to lead. David had to wait for years after he was anointed king before he actually held the position.

 So if you think you might have missed your chance to make a big impact in life, think again. Your best moment might still be ahead of you.

Posted in Christian Living, Leadership, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let Down

Posted on July 15, 2013 by jesustrek
Tyson Gay

Tyson Gay

American 100-meter record holder Tyson Gay has tested positive for a banned substance and has withdrawn from the world championships next month in Moscow. Gay’s “B” sample will be tested soon, but this rarely yields different results.

This announcement is surprising to many. Tyson Gay is well-liked by his fellow competitors and has a reputation of being honest and fair.

Gay has not revealed many details of what has occurred, but he says, “I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”

Perhaps he took supplements given to him by a trusted individual, and those supplements contained a banned substance. In any case, he placed his faith in the wrong person, and now he is paying the price for that misplaced trust.

You see examples of this all the time. Barack Obama listened to the hateful false teaching of Jeremiah Wright for many years. Now, in a position to influence public policy for righteous purposes, our president instead is pro-abortion and favors changing God’s definition of marriage. He trusted the wrong spiritual advisor, and he was let down.

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Don’t be let down. Be careful who you trust.

Posted in Christian Living, Current Events, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hardly Working

Posted on July 13, 2013 by jesustrek

A recent Gallup poll reveals that 7 out of 10 American workers are not really actively engaged in their job. The survey showed that only 30% of workers are truly committed to their workplace. The rest do not attempt to perform at a high level, and this costs companies a lot of money. Furthermore, the report says that these disengaged workers undermine their place of employment with their poor attitude.

Hopefully, Christians understand their duty to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. We owe that to our employers. We owe it to our co-workers. And, most importantly, we owe it to God to be honest, faithful, hard-working employees.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”—Colossians 3:17.

Posted in Christian Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Imposter

Posted on July 9, 2013 by jesustrek

scrubs

On Saturday, June 22, police in Rockcastle County, Kentucky arrested a woman for impersonating a nurse. Samantha Key, 40, was taken into custody at Rockcastle Regional Hospital.

It seems that Key had been walking around the hospital dressed in blue scrubs for nearly a week. She apparently never performed any medical procedures. She mostly walked around talking to hospital employees. The employees finally became suspicious when none of them recognized her.

We need to be careful that we are not merely pretending to be followers of Jesus. We know where we are supposed to be, how we are supposed to dress and who we are supposed to talk to. But that doesn’t mean that we are his followers. He’s not looking for imposters; Jesus is looking for the real thing.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I say?”—Luke 6:46.

Posted in Christian Living, Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hypocrisy

Posted on July 8, 2013 by jesustrek

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is probably the best-known animal rights group in the U.S. PETA tries to make people feel guilty for enjoying an occasional hamburger. This organization urges Americans not to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Yet it has recently been revealed that PETA kills an average of about 2,000 cats and dogs each year at the animal shelter it runs at its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.

This news has confused many people and has infuriated others. PETA is known as an organization that has been very vocal in their belief that animals should not be killed for food, fur coats or leather goods. The killing of cats and dogs—deaths which create no human benefit whatsoever–seems quite inconsistent with their professed beliefs. PETA is in danger of losing support if they do not take measures to correct this hypocrisy.

Jesus warns against spiritual hypocrisy. Matthew 23 reveals how passionate Jesus was in speaking out against pretenders.

I suppose that instead of focusing on PETA’s inconsistencies, perhaps I should see if I have any of my own to address.

Side Note: I looked for a PETA picture to go along with this post. Most that I found were inappropriate for this blog; some were quite vulgar.

Posted in Christian Living, Culture, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Love to Die For

Posted on July 5, 2013 by jesustrek
safe and sound

safe and sound

A grandmother in China is being praised for the sacrificial love she displayed for her granddaughter. Torrential rains caused a landslide in the Sichuan province. As the building the two were in was being crushed, Pan Guofen used her body as a human shield to protect her 15-month-old granddaughter. Rescue workers found the baby alive after 7 hours in the rubble. Her grandmother, however, had died from a head injury. She paid the ultimate price for her precious loved one’s safety.

In a land where baby girls are routinely aborted, this radical act of love especially stands out.

Another outstanding act of sacrificial love took place when Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. Every time we take communion, we praise Jesus for his loving act of heroism.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”—Romans 5:6.

Posted in Christian Living, Communion Meditations, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Freedom of Religion

Posted on July 5, 2013 by jesustrek

God and country

Some people insist that God be kept from the public arena. They assert that there is some sort of “separation of church and state” that must exist in order to protect our society from religion.

Their problem is two-fold. First, the phrase “separation of church and state” is never clearly stated in our nation’s founding documents. Second, the founding fathers never practiced anything like the separation of church and state that is proposed today.

To the contrary, our nation’s founding documents do indeed mention the Creator who gave us certain rights, including the right to freedom of religion. For several years now, people of faith have reminded everyone that we are guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

One group has missed the point so completely that they have named their organization the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

A group from Wisconsin that is affiliated with the Freedom From Religion Foundation recently sent a letter of complaint to the mayor of Danville, Kentucky about prayers that are spoken during public meetings.

That takes a lot of nerve! Why should people in Wisconsin be upset if people in Kentucky exercise their right to pray?

This is just a reminder of what we are up against. We must continue to oppose people who irrationally stand against the freedoms that we have in the United States, including the freedom of religion.

“…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”—2 Corinthians 3:17.

Posted in Christian Living, Church, Culture, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Treasure

Posted on July 3, 2013 by jesustrek
Shaun Rogers

Shaun Rogers

25-year-old Subhanna Beyah was recently arrested on suspicion of committing multiple thefts of jewelry and cash. Among her alleged victims is Shaun Rogers, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants. In March, Rogers reported $400,000 worth of jewelry missing from a hotel safe in Miami.

That seems like a lot of jewelry to me. If $400,000 is the value of the jewelry he takes with him on trips, how much jewelry might Rogers own all together?

Where you draw the line on earthly possessions is subjective, but Jesus warns against storing up a great deal of wealth. Earthly treasures are fleeting, therefore we must focus on storing up treasures that will last forever.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”—Matthew 6:19-21.

What kind of treasure are you storing up?

Posted in Christian Living, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Universe

Posted on July 1, 2013 by jesustrek
Voyager 1

Voyager 1

NASA launched Voyager 1 more than 35 years ago. The spacecraft is now 11.5 billion miles from earth and is approaching the edge of our solar system. Traveling at 38,000 mph, Voyager is about to become the first manmade object to leave the solar system.

It is mind-boggling to think about the size of the universe. And since the universe is so huge, how big is the God who created it? This is a question that has inspired much thought and meditation.

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him…?”—Psalm 8:4-5.

If you think about God today, make sure you think big!

Posted in Christian Living, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Show of Respect

Posted on June 28, 2013 by jesustrek

communion

Jackie Ray Cooper was buried this past Tuesday. Mr. Cooper had been County Judge-Executive of Lewis County (KY) for 16 years. The funeral procession drove by the courthouse on the way to the cemetery. It was heart-warming to see many of the courthouse personnel lining the sidewalk as we drove by—a sincere show of respect to one who had served well.

When we take our place in line for communion on Sunday, we are showing our respect to a Savior who served us well when he went to the cross to die in order to pay for our sins. Let us continue to honor our crucified and risen Lord.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”—Hebrews 12:2.

Posted in Christian Living, Communion Meditations | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment